兜圈 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 林宥嘉

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the tender emotions of Yoga Lin's "兜圈," a captivating Mandopop ballad that gently narrates a journey of love and self-discovery. Through its warm melody and insightful lyrics, you'll uncover the beauty of understated romance and the preciousness of enduring connections. Learning this song in its original Mandarin offers a window into poetic Chinese expressions of love and the nuanced storytelling prevalent in contemporary Mando-pop.

[English]

Round and Round - Jam Hsiao

Lyrics: Chen Xinyan, Music: Jam Hsiao

Playing with building blocks, swapping seats

Listening to records, looping through the songs again and again

Riding bikes, swinging on the swings

Watching clouds pile up, how many times to blow them away

Oh, unknowingly, we've traveled so far

You yawn, I wander through the garden

Almost there, a little more

Passing by the school, the flower shop, from the wilderness to the sea

There's a kind of romantic love that feels like wasting time

Wandering into the bustling city

Only to realize your back looks so ordinary, yet special

Crossed the city limits, but didn't say goodbye

Misplaced love for too long, yet the mistake feels perfectly complete

Love took a roundabout route to happiness

The destination I want to reach is right back at the start

Talking about right and wrong, pouring out our frustrations

It's time to talk about passions, to discuss romantic tales

Waiting for misunderstandings to turn into dates

Reconsidering who I need to become for you

Oh, unknowingly, we've traveled so far

You yawn, I wander through the garden

Almost there, a little more

Passing by the school, the flower shop, from the wilderness to the sea

There's a kind of romantic love that feels like wasting time

Wandering into the bustling city

Only to realize your back looks so ordinary, yet special

Crossed the city limits, but didn't say goodbye

Misplaced love for too long, yet the mistake feels perfectly complete

Love took a roundabout route to happiness

Thinking back, it feels like just yesterday we first met

Cannot remember a time long ago when I didn’t have you by my side

Thank you for accompanying me through the迷途中乐园

Only after taking a circle do I realize

This kind of detour is so precious

Passing by the school, from the wilderness to the sea

There's a kind of romantic love that feels like wasting time

Wandering into the bustling city

Only to realize your back looks so ordinary, yet special

Crossed the city limits, but didn't say goodbye

Misplaced love for too long, yet the mistake feels perfectly complete

Love took a roundabout route to happiness

Those wonderful circles

Make memories worth cherishing

[Chinese]

兜圈- 林宥嘉

词:陈信延 曲林宥嘉

玩玩积木 换换座位

听听唱片又轮回了几遍

骑骑单车 荡荡秋千

看看云堆还要吹散几遍

喔 不知不觉已走了多远

你打呵欠 我游花园

差一点 多一些

路过了学校花店 荒野到海边

有一种浪漫的爱是浪费时间

徘徊到繁华世界

才发现 你背影 平凡得特别

绕过了城外边界 还是没告别

爱错过了太久反而错得完美无缺

幸福兜了一个圈

想去的终点 就在原点

聊聊是非 吐吐苦水

喋喋不休是时候谈风月

等待误会 熬成约会

重新定位要成为你的谁

喔 不知不觉已走了多远

你打呵欠 我游花园

差一点 多一些

路过了学校花店 荒野到海边

有一种浪漫的爱是浪费时间

徘徊到繁华世界

才发现 你背影 平凡得特别

绕过了城外边界 还是没告别

爱错过了太久反而错得完美无缺

幸福兜了一个圈

想起来好像昨天 我们初次见面

想不起很久以前 少了你在身边

谢谢你陪我迷途乐园

绕了一个圈才体会

这样的迂回 多么可贵

路过了学校花店 荒野到海边

有一种浪漫的爱是浪费时间

徘徊到繁华世界

才发现 你背影 平凡得特别

绕过了城外边界 还是没告别

爱错过了太久反而错得完美无缺

幸福兜了一个圈

那些美好的兜圈

让回忆值得怀念

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
玩 /wán/ A1	verb - to play
骑 /qí/ A1	verb - to ride
爱 /ài/ A1	noun - love
时间 /shíjiān/ A2	noun - time
发现 /fāxiàn/ B1	verb - to discover
特别 /tèbié/ B1	adjective - special
浪漫 /làngmàn/ B2	adjective - romantic
幸福 /xìngfú/ B2	noun - happiness
回忆 /huíyì/ B2	noun - memory
迷途 /mítú/ B2	noun - lost way
体会 /tǐhuì/ B2	verb - to experience
边界 /biānjiè/ B2	noun - boundary
学校 /xuéxiào/ A1	noun - school
花店 /huādiàn/ A2	noun - flower shop
海边 /hǎibiān/ A2	noun - seaside
城外 /chéngwài/ B1	noun - outside the city

Key Grammar Structures

• 有一种浪漫的爱是浪费时间

  ➔ Use of '是' to equate or define something.

  ➔ '是' (shì) is used to link the subject with its complement, often to assert identity or characterization.

• 想去的终点 就在原点

  ➔ Use of '的' as a possessive or modifying particle to form relative clauses.

  ➔ '的' (de) modifies nouns to describe or specify the noun, often in relative clauses.

• 反而错得完美无缺

  ➔ Use of '反而' to indicate a contrast or unexpected outcome.

  ➔ '反而' (fǎn'ér) indicates a situation where the outcome is opposite or unexpected relative to what is anticipated.

• 环游花园

  ➔ Use of '游' to express travel or roaming around a place.

  ➔ '游' (yóu) means to wander or travel around a place, emphasizing movement and exploration.

• 路过了学校花店 荒野到海边

  ➔ Use of '了' after verbs to indicate completed action or change of state.

  ➔ '了' (le) indicates that an action has been completed or a change has occurred.

• 我们初次见面

  ➔ Use of '初次' to denote 'first time' or 'initial' occurrence.

  ➔ '初次' (chūcì) means 'for the first time' or 'initially' and is used to describe a first meeting or experience.